Thriving in one’s career and achieving professional goals is the focus of many people, and this sometimes involves finding ways to stand out in a competitive environment . While a certain level of competition can be healthy for professional development, in some segments, the competition is greater, and it’s necessary to stay motivated to get where you want to be.
Working in an environment where individual effort leads to conflict and crisis is not positive for the employee or the company, but competition doesn’t have to mean war between people.
Therefore, first of all, it is necessary to see this type of space as an opportunity for personal development.
What does a competitive environment mean?
It’s no surprise to see firms vying for space, sales, and innovation in pursuit of leadership, and this is something that only grows with new segments opening up.
As such, this pressure is translated to employees at the company who must be constantly on the lookout for trends looking for new ideas, quicker processes, and means to better the competition.
This is partly why qualities like flexibility and adaptability are greatly desired by recruiters.
Another way to approach thinking about competition is to look at various aspects of life in general: students compete in college entrance exams to be chosen, individuals compete in sports, just to cite a few examples.
Hence, with considering competitiveness as something individuals must encounter, one is able to shift one’s view on it and develop career plans to distinguish oneself.
How to stand out in a competitive environment?
With this in mind, professionals can seek tools to avoid the pressure of these environments by seeking constant improvement.
Naturally, this isn’t always simple and calls for work and commitment, but by starting with your own career in mind, these activities cease being competitive and instead become means for each individual to reach their goals. The following advice will help you stand out in a competitive environment:
Be an expert
Deepening knowledge on a given topic allows professionals to become the company’s leading expert on the subject. Besides naturally highlighting their position, it also allows them to serve as a reference.
To achieve this, it is important to continue seeking new knowledge related to the field of activity through free courses, for example, in addition to studying specific topics through postgraduate studies.
Discover what makes you unique
Each person has their own personality and traits that set them apart. At work, some are more communicative, others more organized, and others better at planning. Instead of looking down on colleagues for having a certain skill, it’s better to find what makes you unique.
From there, reinforce your knowledge and practice in this skill to continue improving and demonstrate your talent to the rest of the team.
Get informed
Acquiring new knowledge isn’t just about studying topics related to your field. Scientific publications and articles, international content, and newspaper and magazine articles help provide a broader understanding of the market and society as a whole.
This information helps us in our day-to-day work when thinking about innovative solutions aligned with the organization’s objectives.
Stay focused
When a professional is clearer about their professional goals, it’s easier to stay focused and not let competitive environments prevent them from evolving and delivering good work.
Know your priorities, both in your daily work and in your career planning, so that specific issues don’t affect your performance.
Beware of conflicts
Because a competitive environment can present signs of a negative organizational climate, conflicts often arise. Avoiding these discussions or escalating crises is the solution, as this affects the reputation of the professionals involved and ultimately leads to nothing.
When you have problems with a colleague, try to talk objectively or, if possible, ignore them, and respond to accusations with a job well done.
Control your emotions
Avoiding conflict and pursuing a good job requires emotional control. Often, a feeling of injustice makes people want to react and defend themselves. However, patience, respect, and caution are required.
Develop behavioral skills
These emotional characteristics are just a fraction of the soft skills needed to stand out in the market. Other behavioral skills that better equip professionals to deal with competitiveness include learning to listen to negative feedback, communicating clearly, developing empathy, and the aforementioned ability to adapt.